#silver anime whump posts good whump

[sirswooshnoodles]

Asffsdfksshldafkkdagk

Hi

Hello

Senpai

Thanks for all your wonderful content, ily

[whumpbug]

whumperless whump event day 6: summer is a curse @whumperless-whump-event

heat stroke / panting / “why don't we… find some shade, quick?”

see this post for character information!

caretaker: Gene

whumpee: Cassidy

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

It was the hottest day of the year, and Cassidy was starting to think that anyone trying to travel in this weather had a screw loose.

Well, maybe he had a screw loose for trying to pull a job in this weather in the first place.

He gripped the top of the door of the stagecoach he had heckled into stopping in the middle of the road. The metal burned his hand. He stepped into it, ducking down to face the man sitting in the seat, looking about ready to crap his pants.

“Ante up,” He barked. The passenger whimpered softly and reached into his shirt pocket.

Cassidy resisted the urge to swipe the sweat from his brow. A bandana was pulled up over his face to conceal his identity, and he was seconds away of saying to hell with it and yanking it off. He had no idea why Montana insisted they had to rob the stagecoach today, but who was he to argue? He just needed to get in and get out. He could cool off at the river later.

He glared down at the man and clicked his revolver, pointing it down.

“Don’t got all day,” He grumbled. The man’s hands shook as he emptied some coins into the pouch Cassidy held out. Cassidy could see a drop of sweat fall from the tip of the man’s nose.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air and everyone inside the stagecoach froze.

“Silver! We gotta run, law’s comin’!” A voice called from outside. It was another of Montana’s boys, Red. 

Cassidy cursed softly under his breath as he heard distant shouts and hoofbeats. Goddamn it. He snatched away the pouch and cocked his gun.

This was just his luck. The law always managed to catch up with him at the most inconvenient times. He just hoped Delaney wasn’t with them. He wasn’t sure he had the energy to deal with that stuck-up deputy, feeling as shitty as he did.

Cassidy found his gelding, Scotch, waiting outside the stagecoach, whinnying softly. He ran at him and used the momentum to hoist himself onto the horse. Scotch anxiously hoofed at the ground. 

“Sorry boy, y’gotta run a bit more, alright? I know it ain’t fun..” Cassidy placated, clicking his teeth and tapping a heel into his mount’s side.

Scotch huffed, but was spurred into action, and soon, Cassidy was off.

Red had gotten a headstart and was already out of sight, and Cassidy thought he might make it out as well, but it seemed even Scotch was feeling the sluggishness of the heat.

The law caught up.

Gunshots rang out behind him. Warning shots. They were practically at his heels. He grunted in frustration. There was almost no chance of outrunning them this time, and he really didn’t want to be roped off the saddle.

Montana was gonna kill him.

He yanked back Scotch’s reins, causing the gelding to slow and pin his ears back in annoyance. Cassidy whispered an apology and clutched at the reins until came to a stop

The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by 3 lawmen and--

Goddamn it.

“Now Silver, tell me, why in the hell did you decide today was a good day t’pull this stunt,” Gene huffed, steering Calliope in front of Cassidy, effectively cutting him off.

“Delaney.” He mockingly tipped his hat. “Fancy seein’ you here.” Cassidy tried for a smirk, but it came out as more of a grimace.

“Enough. Get down.”

He grumbled and swung his leg to hop down from Scotch’s back. He gave the gelding a light pat, partially to comfort the animal, but also partially to steady himself. Truthfully, the quick movement caused a vicious headrush that had him seeing stars. 

He was really wishing he could shed some of his layers.

Gene was suddenly beside him, yanking his wrists behind his back, and he figured he oughta cooperate. It beat the alternative of being sent to the gallows for resisting arrest.

Soon enough, his hands were cuffed, and Scotch was being hitched to Gene’s mare. 

Gene turned to his men and told them something, but Cassidy stopped listening after a few seconds. Now, since he wasn’t moving anymore, he felt the sun beating down on him at full force. He moved to pull his bandana down to get some air, but all he could do was jerk against the cuffs uselessly.

This heat was starting to get real unbearable.

The other lawmen left, presumably to go chase Red, and Gene pulled Cassidy towards the horses.

“You can ride double with me if you behave. Act a fool, and I won’t hesitate to drag you all the way to town,” Gene grunted, heaving himself up onto Calliope. He cooed at his mare under his breath, silently apologizing for the extra weight he was about to add.

Without warning, he grabbed Cassidy under the arms and began pulling him up. Cassidy, to his credit, didn’t try to make it harder for the deputy. He simply hooked his foot into Calliope’s stirrup and settled behind Gene.

He was too goddamn burning to try and resist anything. 

He was sweating even more than before, if that was possible. When Calliope began walking forward, he found himself jolting with the movement and leaning more on Gene than he’d like to keep himself upright. 

Gene wasn’t a big talker, especially not with Cassidy, but he found himself wishing the deputy would make some kind of conversation, so he could focus on something other than the dizziness and nausea that was beginning to overtake him.

He swallowed reflexively and tried again to release the bandana around his face. 

“Quit squirming, Silver,” Gene barked, patting Calliope when she became fussy.

The truth was, Cassidy was trying not to squirm, but he couldn’t seem to find his balance. 

He practically grew up in the saddle. He started riding when he was just 11 years old, so it made no sense that every small movement the mare made seemed to send him listing to the side. His world was tilting on its axis. He felt like he was seconds away from spewing or blacking out, and he wasn’t sure which would be worse.

“D’laney,” He slurred, focusing every muscle in his body on keeping himself upright.

“What is it?” Gene grumbled, wiping some sweat from his neck with a handkerchief. Lord, this weather was miserable.

“I.. I don’t..” Cassidy swallowed again, blinking against the black spots that danced in his vision. “D’laney..”

Suddenly, Gene let out a curse as he felt Cassidy start to slip to the side. Calliope and Scotch both let out a worried huff.

Gene caught Cassidy limply by the waist, straining his arms behind him to hold the man up. He cursed again at how clammy Cassidy's skin felt, even through the layers of fabric.

“Goddamn it, Silver..” He breathed, carefully dismounting Calliope while keeping a hand on Cassidy to keep him steady on her back.

Cassidy’s eyes were half-lidded and hazy, and he was unnervingly pale. His lucidity was going, and fast. His breath was coming out in short, quick pants and sweat dripped down his jaw.

Gene made quick work of pulling him off the horse and lowering him unceremoniously to the ground. 

He squinted against the sun and scanned the area around them. “Why don’t we go find you some shade, alright? Won’t do me no good if you kick the bucket on the way to town.”

Cassidy found it odd that the deputy was being so amiable to him, but he wasn’t about to complain. Usually when he felt this run down, Montana told him to suck it up and figure it out. This was a welcome change of pace. He was too out of it to think too hard about it.

Gene half-helped-half-dragged Cassidy to a small tree off the side of the road. It did little to block the sun, but it was better than nothing. He lowered him against it and jogged back to lead the horses over as well. Scotch flicked his ears worriedly and leaned down to nose the side of his rider's head.

Cassidy was still panting hard against the heat, feeling like his entire body was pulsing with nausea and vertigo. He had heard about one of O'Malley's boys dying of heat sickness a while back, and he vaguely wondered if that was what was happening to him. He shuddered at the thought.

Gene approached once again, and before Cassidy could attempt to ask, he made quick work of yanking off the fabric around his face, before bending down to begin stripping him of his extra layers of fabric. He removed his own hat and fanned Cassidy, seeming a little more worried than he was initially leading on.

Cassidy wanted to say something, maybe make a snarky comment and the situation, but instead, his head lolled forward lazily. He could practically feel the deputy’s worried gaze boring a hole into the top of his mussed hair.

Suddenly, he felt gentle, calloused fingers grasp his wrist and press against the artery. Gene counted quietly and frowned.

His voice was now much more serious. “We need to cool you off.”

Suddenly, Cassidy was leaning back a little further against the tree with the buttons of his shirt pulled open. Gene fumbled around his bag for his waterskin, and unscrewed the top. He wet a small strip of fabric and placed it on the back of Cassidy’s neck before pressing the spout to his lips.

Cassidy drank desperately, not caring that the water dribbled down his chin. He was left breathless when the waterskin was pulled from his mouth.

“Alright, you just stay there. We’ll keep moving once you’re more.. stable. And for the love of all things holy, wear less clothes if you’re gonna pull a stunt in heat like this.”

Cassidy let his eyes flutter close, his head finally feeling a little clearer.

Gene clicked his tongue in disaproval and smoothed Cassidy's sweaty hair from his face.

"Just so you know, you're still gettin' locked up for this. I'm not that nice."

Cassidy huffed a small laugh. Yeah, it was probably deserved.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

[clickerflight]

Fleeting: Part 2 - Jaguar

I finished this earlier this week and just forgot to post it. Introducing a new character! She is very cool :)

Masterlist

Part 1

Content: Female whumpee, vampire whumpee, human whumpee, whumpee on whumpee violence, pet whump, captivity whump, dehumanization, interrogation, torture, broken leg, minor character death, cannibalism? I guess? Let me know if I missed anything this part is a bit crazy.

.......................................

Jaguar laid out on the cold stone. There had been a time where it had bothered me. At least, she was pretty sure there had been a time. She couldn’t really remember. She couldn’t really remember what it was like to be warm, to have soft things. She knew those things existed, she knew she had experienced those things, but she couldn’t actually picture what she was doing or where she was or who she had been when she last had those things. 

Now there was cold hard stone, silver chains coated in something to keep it from burning her, and hunger. There was always hunger. Even after she was fed she was hungry. There were just too many years to catch up on and too much silver and too many beatings to heal from for her to free herself from her exhaustion and hunger and aching pains. 

Speaking of being fed, Jaguar heard movement outside her enclosure. Out in the hall. The only thing she knew of besides this room as she caught glimpses of it through the door as it opened and closed for her prey. 

She sat up, licking her lips and whiskers, prowling back and forth now, her back hunched up as she paced on all fours as far as her chain would allow her, a soft clinking filling the room where the chain wasn’t coated and where her claws clicked on the floor. 

The sounds were close enough she could make out the words now. She knew she shouldn’t understand them. She was Jaguar. She was not a person, but she understood them anyway. It was a good thing, she reasoned. It meant that she obeyed even better. 

“Hear that?” a voice laughed. “Our Jaguar is hungry.”

She growled low at that. It was good that her Master was pleased after just hearing her moving around. 

“Come on, guys, I didn’t know that information was bad,” said an unfamiliar voice. It was shaky, scared. It was prey. “H-How did you even get a jaguar?”

“How about you take your guess since that’s what you seem to be good at. Guessing and telling us things as though it were fact.”

“Come on, Ashton, I swear I didn’t-”

There was a blow and the prey yelped in pain. It made Jaguar want to throw herself against her chains to try and get to the door. She was well trained, though. She wasn’t going to misbehave. Not when her Master was already on his way with food. She licked her tongue over her fangs, tail twitching as she waited. 

The door opened and there was her Master. There was a guard behind him who dragged her prey in. She growled, prowling forward, watching the way the prey’s eyes started to bug out of his head in fear, but her Master clicked his tongue. 

“Back, Jaguar.”

Jaguar, still growling low in her throat, did as she was told, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. 

“That’s an actual jaguar,” the prey gasped as the guard hauled up the overturned chair- Master had given her permission to knock it around and play with it as she liked when they were gone- and forced the prey down on it, tying his hands to the chair. 

“Not quite,” Master said, approaching Jaguar. He ran a hand over her head, rubbing her ear for a moment before he stepped back. “Did you know that many ancient vampires gain more powers as they age?”

“Y-yes….”

“Some of the really old ones can access animal forms,” Master said, grinning at the fear on the prey’s face. 

“That’s a vampire!? You can’t be serious! I thought you hated them!”

“Oh, but she’s not a vampire anymore. She’s my Jaguar.”

Jaguar purred at that. She was his Jaguar. No matter the complex thoughts in her head, she could always be his big soft cat when he needed. Or she could be his weapon. Whatever he needed. 

“Now, Nathan. How about you explain to me why you fed us that false information. I know for a fact you didn’t just make it up for some extra money. Who told you to tell us that?”

The prey struggled against his bindings. “No one told me! I overheard it from Yacy and his guys. I didn’t know it was false! Should I have done some extra research? Maybe, but how are you supposed to research a cult like that when the police have already licked up every scrap of information about them and hid it from the public? My police contact got busted last month, remember?”

“Mmhmm, I heard about that. Was it Muir?” 

“Yeah,” the prey spat. “No one can keep a contact in the police for more than a few weeks anymore because of that goody two shoes.”

“Mm, we have been meaning to deal with him. It’s tricky when he’s so ingrained in the community, nevermind him being Hemijeoa. But tell me, Nathan, if that were true, then what is this?”

Jaguar saw him lift up a device. She still wasn't certain about what they were for, but she knew they somehow conveyed information. But she was just a jaguar, it wasn’t like she needed to know how to use one. 

Whatever was conveyed, it made the prey go very pale and very still. Jaguar licked her lips, kneading her paws into the stone in excitement. 

“That’s what I thought. Wanna tell me what actually happened?”

The prey swallowed hard, but he set his jaw and shook his head defiantly. 

Master smiled, his eyes flickering to Jaguar. She sat ready at attention. 

“Ocelome.” 

She growled in response to her other name. He always mispronounced the words a little, but that was okay. The old words always soothed and excited something deep within her. Something that couldn’t really be remembered anymore. She just knew that she liked it, especially when the prey couldn’t understand it and it only made them more scared in return. 

“Xopitzactli.”

The command was clear and familiar. She threw herself forward, the sound of the prey’s scream echoing off the stone walls as she dug her teeth and fangs deep into the flesh of his leg. She felt the bone snap, tasted the fresh blood that gushed out onto her tongue, and ripped away with a large chunk of flesh that she eagerly threw into the air and snatched up again, mostly to impress her Master and scare the prey, but also to release her excitement over the feed as she began chewing on her prize. 

The prey was still screaming, thrashing and sobbing loudly as Master stepped forward, grabbing Prey by the hair to force him to look at him and keep him from toppling the chair over. 

“Wanna tell me the truth now? I’m happy to let my Jaguar play with you for a while if not.”

The man sobbed for another long moment, shaking and babbling on until Master shook him by the hair. 

“It was Cortez! Please, please! She blackmailed. Please, help me, please!”

“Cortez,” Master said, looking displeased. Jaguar hoped he wouldn’t take his anger out on her. 

He sighed. “Should have known. The boss won’t be happy about it. Ah, well. Thanks for helping out.”

Master turned, along with the guard. Jaguar licked her lips, whiskers quivering with excitement as she waited for the signal. 

“Wait! Aren’t you going to untie me?” the prey said with tears streaming down his face, shaking as his leg still bled on the floor, filling the room with the scent of his adrenaline and fear. 

“I know Cortez is good at swaying people, but I can’t have people thinking they can get away with lying to me. Jaguar, have your fun with him.”

With that, Master and the guard left and the door clicked shut. 

Jaguar leapt on the man, his screams echoing off of each wall as she scratched at him, the chair falling back. 

The force of Jaguar and the prey falling shattered the chair and the prey managed to free himself from her, skittering across the room to the far corner, Jaguar right behind him. She imagined digging her teeth into his skull, her fang sinking in through his eye socket as the other crunched right through the bone. She would-

She slammed against the end of her chain before she could reach the man and she fell back, choking and coughing, scrambling to get back to her feet. 

She was at the end of her line and he was in the corner. This had never happened to her before. There was so much blood smell, the prey was right there! She yowled, swiping at him, trying to reach him, but there was nothing she could do. 

The prey babbled and cried in the corner, cowering and pushing himself further against the stone. Jaguar tried, unsuccessfully, for ages to try and reach him. Still, her exhaustion got to her eventually and she went back to where the chair was, flopping down to lick up the blood from the floor. This was all she was likely to get. Would Master be disappointed in her for failing to kill him? But she was only a jaguar. Only a cat. How was she supposed to know what to do now? How was she supposed to succeed here? She couldn’t undo the collar. She didn’t know how. 

She resolved herself to bear whatever Master had in mind for her. She was only a cat. She couldn’t catch her prey when she was too stupid to undo her collar. 

…………………………….

Ashton came back to the room of his pet. The vampire wasn’t very healthy looking. He ought to feed her more often. She was all ribs and eyes and teeth. He was annoyed by how patchy her fur was starting to become. Why did she have to be so high maintenance? 

He opened the door to a surprising sight. His jaguar was laying in the middle of the room next to a broken chair. She looked up from where she was licking up blood, eyes big and sad and pleading, and he quickly realized why. Nathan was pressed into the corner, pale and shaking. Ashton was very aware that the corner was out of her reach with the collar. 

“Jaguar. You haven’t killed him.”

The vampire lowered her head, ashamed. 

Ashton sighed walking forward. He looked down at her and said, “What are we going to do with you? What good are you for if you can’t kill your prey when it’s all tied down.”

The vampire let out a whimper, laying her head against her paws. 

Ashton laughed and kicked her in the ribs, taking a moment to savor the way she curled in on herself before walking over to the wall, reaching up, and undoing the clasp on the chain. 

Jaguar looked up sharply when she heard the chain hit the floor. 

“Go get him,” Ashton said with a grin. The grin remained as he watched his jaguar, his prize and pet, jump at Nathan. The grin only grew wider when Nathan’s screams were replaced by a satisfying crunch. 

“Good girl,” he said quietly. 

Part 3

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[pigeonwhumps]

Introduction

BBU Community Days: Day 1

Hi! I'm Ruth, I write whump under @pigeonwhumps! Including lots of BBU stuff, especially lately!

Honestly, I love the collaborative worldbuilding aspect of the BBU, and creating new characters and aspects of that world. It's fun to think about the backgrounds of characters, where they could come from and such. How they became pets, handlers, etc, and where they go from there. I especially like creating within the British branch of the WRU, and y'know. Thinking about how society works and what the general public thinks about pets. I have a lot of thoughts about the BBU, not all of which make it into my writing (and exam invigilating is boring enough that I created another character today, so sucks to be that oc).

My ongoing series are (please note that many of my pieces contain 18+ content):

Sanctuary

Anita and her grandmother Indira are thrown into the world of pet ownership when Theo, a profoundly deaf unwanted box boy, is mistakenly delivered to the animal shelter Anita works at.

Meanwhile, 785, Theo's bonded, is now struggling to survive Eleanor alone.

As long as she's useful, anyway.

When 785 is refurbished and sold, meeting a defiant illegal pet named Cass along the way, she ends up living alongside a pet who seems to know her far too well. Meanwhile, Theo discovers that the person he cares about most in the world barely remembers his existence, and Anita is in way over her head.

And Cass? Well, even after making a friend in Aaliyah, Cass is just not having a good time right now.

Contains BBU, pet whump, whumpee thinks caretaker is their new whumper, recovery whump, amnesia, lady whump (for Lea and Aaliyah), physically disabled whumpee (for Theo, Lea and Cass) (Theo's deaf, Lea has a stutter, and Cass has chronic pain and problems with his eyesight and legs)

Pets of the Silver Screen

In the silent film era and the early days of the WRU, young pet number 95, real name Eloise, is bought by film producer Hayes Fletcher to star in his productions. A few years later, he hires Agatha from Foster Montgomery to be her stunt double (read: to scar in scenes where it's necessary, because Eloise is too valuable), and the two young woman strike up a somewhat unwilling friendship.

Over a decade of working on- and off-screen later, it's the roaring twenties, pet liberation is starting to grow, and they're more than ready to leave. Enter Ira Waterhouse – a woman who's had just about enough of the pet industry and is willing to take in two runaways. But WRU is expanding, and running a newly-acquired safehouse in London's docklands isn't a piece of cake. Especially when the two former pets Ira's running it with are a) famous, b) wanted for burning down a film studio, and c) even more traumatised than she originally assumed...

Contains: BBU, pet whump, lady whump, multiple whumpees, historical whump

I also create BBU-related graphics, some of which are posted on this account but others I really need to do that to.

Posted graphics:

WRU: For all your Christmas pet-buying needs!

Recruitment brochures for Pet and Handler roles at WRU

Covers for Pet Paper by @octopus-reactivated, a magazine for Pets and their owners, and a campaign magazine by Pet lib activists

Anyway, come say hi! I'm always open to collaborations and stuff, and also just chatting!

@bbu-on-the-side

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 020: The Dark Wings of Death (ASM 126-128)

MASTERPOST

In this set of issues, we see fun crumbs of upcoming stuff, a very interesting mystery plot (if you're reading 127-128 for the first time, do try to solve it!), and secret lesbians (maybe, nobody's sure).

That's a mood whiplash if I see one.

This batch begins with the totally not-goofy-nor-lame Kangaroo, who this time has SUPER-POWERS (the cover says so)!

See?

Some producers ask Spidey to star in an ad, and if you're an old-time reader you'll remember something similar happened before and didn't go so well. He's not tempted either. Meanwhile, the Kangaroo (who last appeared ish 81) meets up with Jonas Harrow (who we saw in 114, he's the one who experimented on Hammerhead).

On campus, Professor Warren pops up to tell the readers that he's totally not about to become an important character, and Peter is an ass to MJ and Flash. Oh, what else is new!

Our dear old Jonas is clueless because as soon as the Kangaroo gets powers, he leaves to deal with Spidey instead of listening to him.

Spidey accepts to do the car ad and requires Johnny Storm's help. I always thought he had the pose of a naked anime girl in any opening ever. I'm curious about the new costume, though. I wonder when it came to pass... Oh, but the Internet has the answer! "From 1973 to 1975, Johnny incorporated a red uniform into his wardrobe in an homage to the original Silver Age Human Torch." And I get more information here: "As a child, Johnny Storm had read comic books about the World War II Human Torch and idolized him. After gaining similar powers and taking his name, Johnny decided for a short time that he would take on a costume similar to that of his android hero."

As shown in the preview of this post, while Spidey's about to discover the greatest invention of last century, Jonah's son is hanging on (continuity, nice!).

So the Kangaroo dies by radiation, anyway. It would be tragic if the character wasn't such a buffoon.

And MJ tries her best, as usual, but Harry ignores her...

Because he's too busy pretending his father's contempt for him was ever worth anything. Anyway, I love how those boots are drawn.

Classic Sunset Spidey!!!

In the readers' letters, we get a very interesting (and funny in hindsight) comment from the writers.

I can finally feel than the bigger number of pages is great. The story's allowed to breathe, we both get a lot of fight AND some drama. It's good!

That's kind of an iconic cover! The questions (although we already know for Harry...), MJ's wild outfit (her pants!!!)... It's a great cover.

In this issue, Peter looks a bit too much like an 80s rugged hunk to my taste.

Okay Mr. Schwarzenegger. Whatever you say.

So Peter keeps being an ass, almost to an absurd degree. Boy, you need to learn empathy and compassion. I do appreciate a good undressing though so keep going please.

The Vulture is the murderer but Peter's wet dreams about Johnny Storm are much more interesting to me.

Because things aren't getting better any time soon on the Parksborn front, you know.

Peter gets him and Flash into an accident because he's a menace (it's actually because the Vulture just took MJ away) and thus, the Flash whump continues (I'm into that!).

The hero and the villain fight, Spidey saves MJ, they get in a lab...

I love her design, don't know why.

WHAT AN ICONIC MOMENT.

The Vulture wants to make Spidey his boytoy, and behind a tree...

Those panels of Harry wishing Spidey's death have stayed in my mind ever since I saw them the first time. Incredibly striking, and exciting for the reader who can't help but want a fight between these two--for the Green Goblin remains a delightful villain, even with Harry's traits.

Anyway, I was checking a certain website to see reactions (because comicdom is so sparse that it's hard to see reactions to specific issues)...

6 years ago!!! And under that, the comments are just as shocked.

I should check THOSE comments more often because they're also pretty funny.

Meanwhile, in the readers' letters...

The next and last issue of this batch (128) opens with Spidey falling from the sky, too high to shoot webs at a building. Once again, incredibly iconic.

Also, welcome to 1974! What a way to start the year. The last year I've read fully! But I read a whole bunch of 1975 so we'll see what new material we get there...

So Spidey gets out of the predicament in the usual fashion (if you can't swing, web up a hammoc) and goes back to the lab where the shadiest character design I've ever seen in this magazine also coincidentally is there.

They keep mentioning coke, which wasn't the case when "Stan Lee" (and whoever else helped...) wrote the lines.

Another gorgeous character design.

So are they lesbians or twins? Or both? You decide, Pete.

Ned Leeds hasn't had a role for a while (just you wait, honey) but he's sure looking like a stud right there.

Peter is still being an ass to MJ.

And Spidey eventually susses out everything and tells all, like Professor Layton would. This is actually quite an experimental story, given than the reveal that Dr Shallot is the new Vulture is just as bonkers as me just revealing this that way.

I had completely forgotten about everything, but goddamn, what an interesting set of issues. I'd say the plotting is masterful because the magazine really never expects its readers to be that smart. Hmm.

(I was convinced the victim was her twin though... What's up with them swapping outfits? Was that intentional, on whose part? Since they're not twins, I will assume lesbians.)

Let's check the comments :-)

I can't post any picture since I reached the limit (would you believe it!) but I CAN copy/paste!

"Brace yourselves, the Jackal leads to some of the really weird and convoluted plots."

YES. Very compelling though.

In the next batch: The Punisher and the Jackal are introduced, and we also get a long-awaited wedding! The 70s just keep on being iconic, it never stops!

[emcscared-whumps]

WiJ 2022 - 11: What are Your Favourite Flavours of Whump?

WiJ 2022 Navigation Post

Pre-ramble Since I feel the Need

Ok, 1) it's really fucking cold outside rn, and the most I can do is close my windows and huddle up, and 2) I am sick of the way Tumblr keeps fucking with my paragraph spacings when I go from draft to post.

CONTENT and WARNINGS: nonhuman whumpees, discussion of dehumanisation/animalisation, captivity whump, pet whump allusions, mentioned ab00se-- mother to adult kid

~*~

Actual Whump Shit Let's Goooooo!!

As I keep mentioning in my off-topic rambles, my favourite flavours of whump include non-human whumpees, secrets relating to the non-human-ness, captivity whump, and all manner of illnesses and accidents that can often be brought about as a result of the nonhuman's species status! Oh yes, and recovery whump and secrets!

I'm taking this oppourtunity to really go into detail about why I love these things so much :D

This post is getting ridiculously long, so I'm gonna slap a "Read More" on it :)

~*~

Nonhuman Whumpees!

Oh yes I love them, they are a staple of my whump diet. I'm talking shifters, mer, vampires, demons, all sorts of little critters (specifically the more human shaped ones, they need human enough faces/bodyplans for me ;-; otherwise it edges into animal whump and that is a personal line I'm not gonna cross).

With that out of the way, there is so much you can do with a whumpee like that. They'll have specific weaknesses, like sunlight, silver/candinium, and species specific diseases, and you can justify catching, torturing, and killing them because they're not human, they're monsters, and they're dangerous <3

I love it when said whumpee couldn't hurt a fly. Not wouldn't, couldn't lol

It opens up so many avenues. You can take hospitals and doctors off the list of people to ask for help, and while being hunted down for existing, whumpee can't afford to trust the wrong person, so they don't trust anyone at all.

There's just, so much you can do!

Like hurt specific nonhuman parts of them and exploit them for it! Scale a mer, harvest a vampire's venom, steal feathers, steal fur, hurt tails, and wings, and ears! They're so sensitive!

And the rest of my taste in whump stems from what I can do to non-humans :D

~*~

Secrets!!!!!!

Goddamn, a good secret reveal gets me every fucking time.

I've noticed that it's always the non-human's secret about being non-human getting out though, so I'm specific with this one ^-^'

Anyway, I love it when the secret is kept not for the welfare of family and loved ones, but for whumpee's own safety. Bonus points if that safety is from said family and loved ones >;3c (see pretty much every Danny Phantom fanfic ever, and also cannon Danny, shit man that's fucked up lol "they want to tear me apart molecule by molecule" is a real, canon line id diaglogue).

Pete would get shunned and rejected by his mother if she ever found out, and if he was in front of anyone else, he would be reported to the hunters by an informant.

He can't afford to let that secret get out.

I just adore the emotional stakes of a whumpee being scared of their own friends and family, and literally everyone because everyone might kill him (or help) under certain conditions, and I love what they stand to lose if it got out.

Is it a metaphor for being any flavour of queer? Not for me, and I don't write it with that intention.

Could it be read that way? Sure, if you want, but I personally am not interested in that flavour of whump.

~*~

Dehumanisation >:)

Put them in muzzles, blindfold them, gag them, give them an ear tag like they're cattle, drag them around on a leash, tie them up, treat them like a beat and like they're a threat.

Especially when they're not.

Anyway, this one's more of a seasoning, like chilli. I sprinkle it over the top of the whump to make all the other flavours sing :D

Need I say more?

~*~

Captivity Whump >:3c

Captivity whump my beloved <3<3<3

I love a whumpee who's had hope and free will stripped of them. I like it when the light leaves their eyes, but they're not dead... >;)

They are tired, so very tired. And they'll never be strong enough to escape on their own, and if they did manage it, what do they have to look forward to? They'll never be the same. They'll never be able to function to even a fraction of their previous standard. Their family/friends/loved ones will never look at them the same way again. That's if they're still around.

They can kiss their life goodbye.

It has been destroyed by years and years of torture, conditioning, punishment, dehumanisation, and objectification. And then when they inevitably survive through that hell, not aging enough for their body to give out, even after decades, they are discarded like they are merely a toy their owner had grown bored of.

If the whumpee has even a shred of hope left, I want to crush it.

And then save them when they're on death's doorstep for real. A caretaker-type character could swoop in and scoop up the whumpee when they're cold and alone, and a mess of a broken shell, and nurse them back to health, leading to messy recovery whump.

Short term captivity can be fun too-- inescapable torture without totally ruining whumpee's mind. This happens to canon!Pete :) he gets to live with permanent injuries, trauma, and paranoia :DD

~*~

Recovery Whump!

Recovery whump!!! Everything can go wrong, no recovery will go smoothly. Perhaps caretaker is really bad at caretaking, perhaps they're new to it, perhaps they don't care enough,or are just unable to cater to whumpee's specific needs.

If whumpee is a vampire, caretaker struggles to provide enough blood. Maybe they're squeamish or have trauma themselves. Maybe they just don't know what the whumpee needs, like with Pete. He barely expresses anything about his needs, so it's very easy for him to starve or end up moon-deprived.

Even if the caretaker is good, they know what they're doing, no one is perfect. They could slip up and shout, or accidentally hurt whumpee when they don't mean it.

Wounds heal messily too, and whumpee is ever-so fragile, both physically and mentally. All it can take to spur a breakdown or panic attack is one wrong word.

I just love all of the aspects of recovery whump, but I'm sure I'm forgetting some, like wound treatments-- cleaning them, stitching them up, dressing them, changing the dressings, infections, reopening of wounds, tearing of stitches...

There's so much lmao

~*~

Sick Fic/Illness, and Accidental Injuries/Predicaments

These are always fun! Can include general sicknesses like the cold or flu, or any other fun painful things, and also any accidents, like tripping and falling, perhaps even down the stairs and breaking something for whatever whumpy reason. Then you have the ones that creep up on everyone, like chronic malnutrition.

What I love doing to Pete, because he's a belunae shifter, is moon deprivation (compromising his immune system, healing, and ability to shift), an virus specific to shifters (high fevers, coughing, weakness, and compromised shifting), and injuries (head or a jab to a specific part of his abdomen) causing a partial shift in a sudden wave of pain (giving him his webbing between his fingers and toes, funky ears, improved light sensitivity, fins, and weakness in his legs), which can only be reset by a full shift. Until then, he gets to endure waves of pain, and constant aches, and deal with whatever consequences suddenly collapsing and having fins and funky hands and ears entails.

Then I love for him to get kicked out (roughly, dragged, and dropped down the few stone stairs) onto the cold street for being that way in front of Kate/in her home, and to not come back until he's back to normal. Poor thing wants to grab his coat, but Kate snarls that he's belunae, he doesn't need it. Pete just shivers on the ground crying and trying to drag himself away to anywhere remotely warm, to Timmy's place preferably.

ANYWAY, perhaps, there are even diseases and illnesses that affect the whumpee's species specifically. Oh, and everything going well, they can't go to hospital unless they'd like to be killed or kidnapped :DDD so they're stuck at home taking longer to recover.

There are so many possibilities, even if they just break their arm or something, all of the above can apply! Throw in other illnesses and infections while they're week and you've got a great time!

Also, severely weakened whumpees my beloved <3

~*~

Anyways, I think I'll leave my entry at that, good on ya if you reached the bottom lmfao

@whumpmasinjuly

[ao3feed-izuku-midoriya]

Clicker Training

Clicker Training by bene castigat

The click was good. The click meant he did good. He waited for the click. Waited. Waited.

For the first time he could recall, the click did not come. Instead of looking into the silver, dead eyes of the Austringer, he was looking into bright red eyes below a brow furrowed in concern. There was no click.

Or;

Aizawa Shouta noticed some odd things about his newest set of students. The Problem Children, of course, but there was something about the quietest of the class. He watched, and he learnt, and he planned.

(The Commission hated the fact that they couldn't see inside of U.A. Takami Keigo had the perfect in. What they didn't expect was for Keigo's loyalty to shift.)

(They trained him well, but not quite well enough.)

Words: 2082, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the bird and the mole

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Takami Keigo | Hawks, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Kaminari Denki, Ashido Mina, Sero Hanta, Jirou Kyouka, Tokoyami Fumikage, Asui Tsuyu, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako, Ojiro Mashirao, Kouda Kouji, Satou Rikidou, Shouji Mezou, Hagakure Tooru, Yaoyorozu Momo, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Nezu, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Aoyama Yuuga, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Toogata Mirio, Eri

Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Midoriya Izuku & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Takami Keigo | Hawks & Todoroki Shouto, Class 1-A & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Hurt Takami Keigo | Hawks, Takami Keigo | Hawks Whump, Takami Keigo Replaces Mineta Minoru, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Parental Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Takami Keigo | Hawks is a Little Shit, Protective Class 1-A, Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Age Regression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, clicker training, Animal Traits, Animal Instincts, Quirk Discrimination, Takami Keigo | Hawks has ADHD, BAMF Takami Keigo | Hawks

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31380698

[ao3feed-hawks]

Clicker Training

Clicker Training by bene castigat

The click was good. The click meant he did good. He waited for the click. Waited. Waited.

For the first time he could recall, the click did not come. Instead of looking into the silver, dead eyes of the Austringer, he was looking into bright red eyes below a brow furrowed in concern. There was no click.

Or;

Aizawa Shouta noticed some odd things about his newest set of students. The Problem Children, of course, but there was something about the quietest of the class. He watched, and he learnt, and he planned.

(The Commission hated the fact that they couldn't see inside of U.A. Takami Keigo had the perfect in. What they didn't expect was for Keigo's loyalty to shift.)

(They trained him well, but not quite well enough.)

Words: 2082, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of the bird and the mole

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Takami Keigo | Hawks, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shouto, Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Kaminari Denki, Ashido Mina, Sero Hanta, Jirou Kyouka, Tokoyami Fumikage, Asui Tsuyu, Iida Tenya, Uraraka Ochako, Ojiro Mashirao, Kouda Kouji, Satou Rikidou, Shouji Mezou, Hagakure Tooru, Yaoyorozu Momo, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Nezu, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Aoyama Yuuga, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Toogata Mirio, Eri

Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Midoriya Izuku & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Takami Keigo | Hawks & Todoroki Shouto, Class 1-A & Takami Keigo | Hawks, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Hurt Takami Keigo | Hawks, Takami Keigo | Hawks Whump, Takami Keigo Replaces Mineta Minoru, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Parental Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Takami Keigo | Hawks is a Little Shit, Protective Class 1-A, Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Age Regression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, clicker training, Animal Traits, Animal Instincts, Quirk Discrimination, Takami Keigo | Hawks has ADHD, BAMF Takami Keigo | Hawks

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31380698

[rainbows-and-whumperflies]

oc ask game

the plot twist is. you don’t know my ocs.

so here’s how this works. I will give you a list of questions and a list of names. you don’t know anything about the characters but you ask about them anyway. that’s the whole game.

Questions:

1. What is their biggest insecurity?

2. How would they react to finding out that someone lied to them for their own good?

3. Is it harder for them to say an apology or to say thank you?

4. Do they have a good memory that they remember every time they lose hope, to give themself hope? If so, what is it?

5. Are they more scared of being surrounded by people or being alone?

6. What would they have to gain from volunteering at an animal shelter?

7. What would they do with a sticker? How long would it take them to decide what to do with it?

8. How do they feel about their height? (you don’t get to know what their height is. only if they like it or not >:) )

9. If they dyed their hair, how long would it take to decide the color?

10. What object do they feel bad for the most often? (like you know when you feel bad that you knocked over your waterbottle)

11. What is their weapon of choice?

12. If they got a tattoo with only two hours or less of planning, would it be something sentimental that they don’t want to forget or just something random?

13. How many rings do they wear on a daily basis? Are they a gold ring or silver ring aesthetic? (if the choice is up to them)

14. What’s their belief about soulmates?

these were so much more fun to write than I thought they would be oh my god-

Characters you can ask about (names, pronouns, and ages):

Alixe (pronounced the same as alex btw), he/they, 19

Blossom, she/her, 42

Cedar, all pronouns but favors xe/xem like a rock you put in your pocket among the other rocks on a hiking trail, 16

Daniel, he/him, anywhere from 8 to 12 because I’m not sure yet

Ivar, she/her, probably about 35 but I’m not completely sure-

Lucia, she/her, 7

Rixi, they/them, 22

Xenon, he/him, 24

Other kinda important information:

These characters are from a supernatural whump story that I’ve written a few things for but none of them are on tumblr yet. I will post them in probably about a week because I want people to ask stuff first.

none of the kids are whumpees or whumpers!! a few of them are kinda caretakers, but in the oblivious/naive emotional support way. none of them are the traditional whump roles cuz they’re kids.

If I cannot answer an ask completely without giving spoilers away, I’ll do my best to just work around it.

[rueitae]

Writing Roundup 2020

This is a writing reflection I’ve been doing for myself every year for the last four years. Its a positive boost to myself see how far I’ve come and look back on my progress for the past year and look forward to the new year. 

Everyone is welcome to use this same format if they’d like to do the same! 

~~~~~~~

Stats:

Words written:

330,000, which is nearly half of all the words I’ve written on Ao3 in the last three years. 

One Shots Posted (all fics plance unless otherwise stated):

In the Arms of the Ever(pink?) Tree (4463 words)

For the Plance Secret Santa exchange. Post s8 date/not date on a snowy moon. Love confession. 

Birthday Treats (2129 words)

For Pidge’s birthday this year! Domestic family fluff, breakfast in bed, plance kids.

Begin Again (Together) (4805 words)

Canon divergence from before episode one! Pidge and Lance are established dating when alien intervention brings them to where they are supposed to be: with the Blue Lion. Just a brief look into what the AU would look like. 

Common Ground (4521 words)

A treat for my friends who introduced me to Magic Knight Rayearth and pointed out some fun character parallels. There is this beautiful art Arya made to go with it because we’re all trash for both series. Plance meet up with Fuu and Ferio post series for both couples. 

Bonded To You (1808 words)

For the Langstron Halloween Exchange! Established plance with a baby Lance is trying to keep safe from a witch who would take advantage of the child’s heritage. 

It Tasted Good (6785 words)

Pikelavar for Pikelavar Month! The premise is crack, but it's mostly treated seriously. Pike ate the Jewel of Jitan by accident and doesn’t realize it until Haggar finds them. Meklavar gets Protective.

The Remainder of Days (3188 words)

Part of my Bad Things Happen Bingo. Fantasy AU where Pidge is a minor forest goddess and Lance is her neighbor mortal farmer. 

I Love You a Lily More Each Day (3232 words)

Another of the Bad Things Happen Bingo. Canon compliant where Lance is undercover at a flower shop and knee deep in an illegal smuggling operation. 

Lease on Life (4978 words)

This one was also part of Bad Things Happen Bingo and was an experiment. It’s POV of an oldest plance kid, canon verse. Her parents’ Paladin days come back to haunt them one night. Some cute family stuff too in there. 

Ready to Dance (4135 words)

For the Valentine’s Day exchange! Post series. Lance tries to get back into the party scene and Pidge rescues him from a disastrous night. 

Loopholes (5476 words)

Technically I didn’t write this fic this year, but a very kind reader asked if I would post this to Ao3, so it was my first fic of the year on Ao3. It’s Lotura! Originally a gift for a dear friend I’ve had since elementary school. It’s a fantasy AU where Lotor stumbles into Allura’s kingdom needing help. 

Next to Me (7311 words)

Also for Bad Things Happen Bingo, this is probably one of my favorite fics of the year. This is the canon verse AU that went all wrong in s7, and Sendak succeeds in destroying Earth. Lance and Pidge end up not only his prisoners, but also two of the last humans in the universe. Ends open ended, but it became a series in the end!

Into Me (14248 words)

The sequel to the above fic. There are two versions, this and the one below. The title tells all. Lance and Pidge come to terms with their new life aboard Sendak’s flagship and do their best to keep the other comforted.

Into Me (non-explicit version) (7228 words)

Exactly the same as the fic above, only this one is SFW

Sunshine (3831 words)

A Bad Things Happen Bingo! One of my favorite concepts. Canon verse. Pidge gets sick while she and Lance are on a scientific mission. 

Showoff (635 words)

A really short fic for a friend on their birthday, featuring their plance kids!

Respite of the Heart (4181 words)

A fic I have been wanting to write for a very long time. I love the concept of Pidge as a Disney Princess in the sense she has the forest guardian theme and all these animals love her. So there’s some play on that as the Paladins stop for lunch on their journey back to Earth in early s7. Lance comes to a realization and they have a chat surrounded by the animal friends. @anchoredtetherart did a phenomenal piece to accompany it. Please look at it in awe here.

The Hardest Part (3960 words)

For Bad Things Happen Bingo! An AU of the episode The Reunion where Pidge doesn’t return when she’s supposed to. 

A Planned Sacrifice (4988 words)

Another Bad Things Happen Bingo. Canon verse. Pidge assumes that being a sacrifice for the ‘forest god’ is strictly ceremonial and at worst a wild animal. It’s actually Sendak, who no one has seen since Shiro shot him out of the Castle. He remembers Pidge and is far too pleased to see her again, tied up on a silver platter. 

Almost Forgotten, but Not Gone (3946 words)

Bad Things Happen Bingo. AU sometime in s1 where Haxus isn’t as dead as Pidge thought. 

Touch (7519 words)

Written for the Lance Goes Boom bang! It was inspired by @fenixseraph ‘s amazing art here! It’s a different take on The Way Forward, where Pidge and Lance are separated from the rest of the team and placed in their own cell. And the Red Lion causes issues. 

Chaptered Fics started/added to:

Wolf In Thieves’ Clothing (4516 words)

An AU of The Castle of Cagliostro from Lupin the Third series. Lee, you have my thanks forever for making me watch this finally. Pidge is a literal princess whose kingdom is in the middle of an internal coup. Lance is a gentleman thief who rides with his best buds Hunk and Matt. Their paths are destined to cross again when Lance goes back to the castle he used to call home. 

Game of Love (4593 words)

The most crack of the bunch. AU of Fall the of the Castle of Lions where Sendak and Haxus get away with it all. Pidge and Lance are prisoners on Haxus’ new ship, and Lance finds an opportunity for eventual escape when he learns that Haxus has a crush on his second in command. Operation matchmaker begins. (happy ending planned for all)

What Tides May Bring (20704 words)

Collab with the fantastic @anchoredtetherart for MerMay! Established plance as mermaids and guardians of their elements with adorable mer child. Then angst because they are all captured by a ‘research’ institute. 

Seasons of Magic (16546 words)

I actually added a chapter this year! Ongoing collection of one-shots with mage Pidge who lives in the country and cultivates her plant magic and makes potions with the assistance of her dragon familiar, Lance. Mostly domestic fluff. 

Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (11438 words)

Added another chapter this year to my Keith-centric AU. It’s basically VLD but five years early and they’re all literally child Paladins. Keith gets to meet Krolia earlier and its fun to go into tween friendships as they try and navigate the reality of their situation. 

Seeds (48833 words)

Added a ton earlier this year. A collection of plance fics all or mostly under 500 words. All meant to be adopted by others if interest strikes. Covers many genres.

Chaptered Fics Finished:

Resolve to Fly (75799 words)

Written for the Pidge Angst Bang. My artist @alchemie0 did an outstanding job capturing the feel of the fic. Look at the art here! Canon verse AU where Pidge encounters Haxus, who has crashed on Earth. She helps him repair his ship in excitement and good faith, which he pays back by kidnapping her. For two years she survives as little more than a housepet on Sendak’s ship. Gen.

Who's Protecting Who? (28989 words)

Also technically not written this yeah, but posted. A collab with Hush waaaay back in 2018. It's a plance Altean AU with Pidge as distant royalty and Lance as a bodyguard.

A Dish Served Cold (21533 words)

Finally finished this one! Canon verse in which Pidge accidentally runs into Sendak on an isolated planet. Sendak takes advantage of this encounter and tries to return to the Empire with her in tow. Much Pidge whump. Gen

Reflections: 

Best title 

I still really really love Too Soon and Not Soon Enough (11438 words). Because it's too soon for the Paladins to be Paladins, and for Keith it's not nearly soon enough for Krolia to return. It just feels like it has a lot of heart to it. I hope I can keep it going, but my ideas are incredibly scattered for it. 

Worst title 

Touch (7519 words). Yeah it’s a play on ‘Don’t you touch her’ but it feels soooo dry. 

Best/worst last line

Best: This was really, really hard choice this year, but ultimately, making up for the terrible title, its Touch (7519 words) 

“It feels good to escape the ship with all of his teammates, secure in the knowledge that he has a way forward not just as a Paladin, but also with Pidge.” 

- Not only did I manage to fit the title of the episode in there, it's got that hopeful tinge to it and reflects on personal growth both internally and with Pidge. 

Worst: This one isn’t necessarily bad from Begin Again (Together) (4805 words), but it could be better. It didn’t get quite the epic sense I was hoping to pull from it.

“Okay,” he smirks, hand firmly on the throttle. “Operation save Earth starts now.”

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

Definitely wrote way more. Even with posting two fic that are essentially the exact same, I still ended up writing nearly half of my total Ao3 word count this year. (330,000/670,000). Doing Bad Things Happen Bingo was a bit part of that - I was very inspired at the beginning of this year - but also there were many events I participated in (8 total!!) on top of my personal projects. 

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

A really hard decision this year, because there are several that make me really happy. I think oddly enough though, it’s Game of Love (4593 words) because of its potential and how much crack it is. It has such whacky rom-com energy to it but also that underlying angst of the situation I can fall back on. My favorite trope to explore is what happens to the characters when they’re captured. I just really enjoy the concept and the challenge to make such a concept believable with minimal suspension of belief. 

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Using kudos as my gauge (and not counting the chapter fics), the winner is: 

Respite of the Heart (4181 words)

Not surprising because Ivy’s art is STUNNING.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

I think that’s It Tasted Good (6785 words), the pikelavar fic. Pikelavar is underappreciated in general

Story that could have been better?

For all I was excited to write Sunshine (3831 words), it didn’t quite fall the way I had imagined in my mind. I don’t know if it was the structure or I was running out of steam or what. All i know is that I wanted more but all I could concentrate on was that scene where he’s caring for her in bed. Maybe I was just too ambitious.

Sexiest story?

No brainer it's Into Me (14248 words). Literally. Which really shocked me that it happened. Didn’t think I’d write any smut at all, let alone this year. This particular fic just kinda called out for it 

Saddest story?

The prequel to the above fic: Next to Me (7311 words). How much more sad can you get than Earth being destroyed, being Sendak’s prisoners all while trying to tell each other ‘i love you’ without seeming weird because you’re the last humans in the universe. 

Most fun?

I think it's Ready to Dance (4135 words). Just Valentine’s fluff and impromptu slow dancing in the park at night. 

Story with single sweetest moment?

I’m picking What Tides May Bring (20704 words). Listen, mer Lance and mer Pidge playing with their mer baby in their domestic paradise is probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. Dad Lance has my heart. 

Hardest story to write?

The last chapter of A Dish Served Cold (21533 words) was like pulling teeth. I’m pretty happy with it in the end but at the time man it was so hard. 

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I wrote smut. It was...weird? But also strangely calming. I wrote more for another fic but it's still a WIP. I definitely need to be in the mood to write it. 

Proudest Achievement:

The Pidge Angst Bang. Resolve to Fly (75799 words). Look at that word count. I only wanted something under 3k at first, so it was just going to be Pidge meeting Haxus. But by the time I finished that part it was already 10k. So even though I was going through a rough part of my life, I just kept going and it ended up being my therapy. I’m really proud of the fic and I love my artists’ pieces. It really lifted my spirits. (You should all really go check out the Ao3 collection of all the bang stories and art they are AMAZING you won’t regret. If you love Pidge angst they are all must reads.)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

I’d like to finish my Bad Things Happen Bingo card and then focus on my current WIP, that includes the Seeds collection. There are days I still feel a bit overwhelmed, and I’m still trying to find a routine after moving. I’d like to do more events too, but I think I need to be more selective about which ones I do. I don’t want to burn myself out. 

Apart from that, I’d really like to try and give back to the community more. I’d like to start consciously writing fics for others without an event to go by. 

Past Years:

2017

2018

2019

[stolen-pen-name23]

Heyyo it’s Spotlight Saturday (shoutout @ao3commentoftheday)! I’ve had an especially difficult week this week and reading y’alls fics has made it much easier. 

I want to keep this kind of short so I’m going to try and keep it to five fics I’ve enjoyed this week but just know there are a TON of fics out there that I have loved and enjoyed. Here’s some fic recs in no particular order under the cut:

Eyes in liminality by shatou on Ao3.  Summary: Anakin doesn’t give Obi-Wan his Padawan braid. And then he does.  Ships: tagged as Anakin/Obi-Wan but can be read as gen.  My ramblings: omg this fic is so sweet and precious and ahhhh I love it!! I love how insecure these two are and also they are both human disasters and I love it. 10/10 recommend. (sorry I don’t know if you have a tumblr, if you do and you see this let me know and I’ll tag you!)

Forbidden Love: A Collection of Firsts by Kenobicontent on Ao3 Summary: Whether it was fleeing for their lives, fighting off insurgents and mercenaries, or simply just trying to survive to see the light of another day, not even the Force could deny that Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze were meant for each other. Ships: Obi-Wan/Satine My ramblings: this fic is just *chef’s kiss* I love it. The dialogue is so good. Highly recommended, especially if you ship these two, but even if you don’t it’s a great read. It is still a WIP but it’s updated pretty regularly and it always makes my day when I see a notification for it in my inbox. (Also, again, sorry I don’t know if you have a tumblr, if you do and you see this let me know and I’ll tag you!)

The Plights of Force Visions by @hellowkatey   Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi has many infamous force abilities. He is most notorious for his connection with animals, though his silver tongue and acrobatic leaps are close behind. Lesser known are his visions, frequent and pungent. These are the tales of a lifetime of seeing too much. Ships: Gen My ramblings: THIS FIC. The angst. The dialogue. The whump. I love it all. Go check it out, it is definitely worth the read. It’s also a WIP but it’s a series of semi-connected one-shots so you should definitely check it out right now!

The Maverick and The Negotiator series by ashara_tahnn on Ao3 Summary: Series of one-shots centered around first experiences in Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's master and padawan relationship. Ships: Gen My ramblings: I love good Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon content and these fics hit the spot. Fluffy and angsty and all around great fics. Go check them out! (Also, again, sorry I don’t know if you have a tumblr, if you do and you see this let me know and I’ll tag you!)

Hoarse by @katierosefun  Summary: after the deception arc, it really takes chemical pneumonia for Anakin and Obi-Wan to actually talk to each other Ships: Gen My ramblings: Even though it hurts me every time, I can’t stop reading post-deception arc fics and this one in particular is excellent. No spoilers but the ending of this fic just makes me feel things. I love it so much. 

Here are a few more must reads because I can’t help myself, but also I’m trying to wrap this up because I need to go get lunch whoops. Anyway, read these fics:

-Sparks of Hope: A Star Wars Advent Calendar by @mahizli (Meyson on Ao3)

-Where the Shadow Ends by @the13thbattalion 

-Life Day Firsts by @sirikenobi12 

-Filling The Gaps by @giggles-and-freckles (I might have actually already rec’d this one before in my last list but I honestly can’t remember and am now too lazy to go back and check. Either way, check it out!

There are definitely more that I missed but here’s a good start! Go check out all of these works! 

[velkynkarma]

Do you recommend Stormlight Archive? I see the tag every now and then and was wondering if it is a good read? Been looking for a good series for a while now. Do you mind giving me some reasons as to why I should read it if so? :)

The Stormlight Archive is an excellent series and I do highly recommend it. It is my all time favorite book series and has one of my all time favorite characters in it. 

That said, if you have never read Brandon Sanderson novels before, I do recommend you start with something smaller first, like the Mistborn series. Stormlight Archive is an amazing read and I could talk myself hoarse praising it, but it does require you to trust the writer, because it’s a very long and very dense story and some of the payoff doesn’t come until later. It’s there, I guarantee you it’s there. But it’s a lot easier to trust that it’s there when you’ve read some of Sanderson’s other works and know you will be satisfied because he delivers on promises so well. 

That said, if you want to jump right in and read Stormlight Archive regardless, here’s some of the awesome reasons you should try it:

Brandon Sanderson is just an amazing writer in general. He’s my favorite author and the thing I aspire to be as a writer of my own. I did a whole post about why you should read his novels here that has a lot to say about general style and approach, so I won’t repeat myself here.

Incredible characters. Kaladin is my favorite, but so many other characters are so good and so fleshed out and have so many interesting quirks and strengths and flaws that you really don’t mind swapping to any of their other stories. There’s so fucking many good characters. Even the little support characters have so much personality. You could do a whole series about Bridge Four alone.

THERE IS SO MUCH HURT-COMFORT EVERYWHERE. Listen. You don’t really get hurt-comfort in “normally published” books. Hurt-comfort or whump is like, almost exclusively a fanfiction thing. If characters get injured in a novel or movie or whatever, we never really see them get taken care of after, and fanfic writers usually patch that in on the side. Sanderson is like ‘nope, have all the whump and all the healing,’ and it’s great. We see characters bond over traumas and help each other get stronger and look out for each other. We see characters get injured and other characters banding together to save them and help them heal. We see characters dealing with mental traumas and bad memories and awful pasts and we see other characters helping them deal with it with no judgement, or actually saying out loud that helping people is worth it and the people who need to be helped aren’t worthless. We see distrustful characters slowly learning to trust again because they make friends who don’t let them down. It’s glorious.

There are too many fucking badass moments to name. Most of them are spoilers. But honestly, Stormlight Archive has the ability to sucker-punch me right in the feels over and over again. No matter how many times I read these books, there are at least half a dozen key moments I could name right here right now without having to think about it that feel just as strong as the first time I read them.

The world the books take place in is so freakin cool? It’s nothing like generic-fantasy-Europe. Hurricanes sweep the whole world on a regular basis and people have just learned to hunker down when they come, seasons are only like a couple weeks long and there’s dozens of them, most of the plant-life has learned to retract into rocks to not get shredded in the storms, most of the animal life is varying forms of crustaceans. Horses are about the only ‘normal’ animal in the whole book and they are considered a rarity. (On that animals note, everyone in this world thinks all birds are chickens. Parrots are also chickens. Everything is chickens).

The magic system is A+. Again, not generic wizards-casting-fireball. I don’t want to go into too much detail on it because it gets into spoiler territory but basically it’s really fucking cool and so fucking rewarding, the more you learn about it.

There are tons of different not-straight-white-male characters represented. Most of the characters are POC’s, one of the main characters is autistic (and treated with respect regardless), at least two of the main characters have mental illnesses they are learning to deal with (and again, respected regardless and offered help), the female characters are all well-written and not prizes for the men after they save the day, there’s been a couple of gay characters so far.

It’s not overly political (and by that I mean fantasy politics, specifically). There are some fantasy series I’ve never been able to get into because most of it is hyper focused on the political comings and goings of all the fake kingdoms, who’s got alliances with who, who’s fighting who, who’s married who, who has control of what industries where, fantasy red tape the characters need to go through to get anywhere, etc. It gets super dry and boring for me. Stormlight Archive doesn’t dwell on these things. They’re there, of course, you can’t build a world without giving it some form of political structure, but it doesn’t get so bogged down in the details you want to go to sleep. 

Worldbuilding again--there are these things called spren that are just semi-physical manifestations of a concept or ideal or emotion. Is somebody really proud of an achievement they just did? A Gloryspren might appear. Is it raining? Rainspren might appear. It’s just really cool to see them all casually woven into the background like it’s a super normal thing because in this world, it is. 

The money system isn’t gold/silver/copper and for some reason that has always stood out to me as really cool. 

There are so many twists that you won’t see coming but they will be absolutely satisfying, because all the clues are all there throughout the series, and you just didn’t know how to look for them yet.

Without getting into spoiler territory, those are the major things I’d highlight. It’s a great series. Just remember it is considered high fantasy (alongside works like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings), so it is still pretty dense and there is a lot of it. But it’s so fucking good, I highly recommend. 

[mikkeneko]

oh how the turn tables: Fic recs of Jaskier saving Geralt

I’ve read a lot of good fics in the Witcher fandom -- including a prodigious and excellent amount of Jaskier whump -- but I realized that some of the ones I like best are the ones where the chairs are switched, and Jaskier has to take care of Geralt for a change. Either by easing his way through social trouble, taking care of him after a fight gone bad, or anything else that threatens to bring the Witcher low. It also doubles as an (incomplete) list of my favorite fics and authors in the fandom!

I would of course greatly  appreciate additions to this post (among others I’m certain there was another fic where Geralt took a Cat potion and then had to exit the cave immediately, and Jaskier cared for him while he was blind from it, that I’d love to find again.) Please add away!

Links only at the top, full summaries and excerpts beyond the cut.

An Incomplete Happiness -  BlossomsintheMist, M, 22k

How to Care for your Witcher -  Funkspiel, T, 13k

faith in transience -  unconscious, E, 12k

Ivy on the Hill - chaya, E, 20k

The Witcher Wolf -  im_fairly_witty, T, 10k

a dying curse (you are, as of all your kind, no more than a beast) - mikkeneko, T, 10k

home is nowhere, therefore you - Ark, E, 18k

Meet Death Sitting -  bomberqueen17, M, 46k

An Incomplete Happiness - Geralt is nearly killed while on a hunt and relies on Jaskier to drag him back to the safety and comfort of a town and treat his wounds. Complete.

“You are awfully nonchalant,” Jaskier said, a levity in his voice that sounded forced.

“Without you here, I’d be sleeping under a bush with Roach beside me for warmth,” Geralt said after a moment.  “I’d sleep there for about four days, hoping it didn’t keep raining, until the fever ran its course, and hope I had water and food enough in my pack, because otherwise I’d have to crawl far enough to find fresh water and then collapse there.  It’s happened before.”  It would again.  “And still, I’d live.  If it was worse than that, I’d let Roach find me aid, and hope I lived.”

How to Care for your Witcher - An episodic fic with each chapter focusing on another fix that Geralt gets into, that Jaskier tries to help him with. Ongoing.

Geralt licked his lips – dry and cracked, another side effect of some of his potions, Jaskier had noticed over time. The bard reached for his canteen as smoothly as he could without jarring the other man. He unscrewed the top slowly, quietly, but not entirely, and gently pressed it into Geralt’s hands. The witcher appeared as grateful for the bottle as he was for the fact that Jaskier had left the littlest bit of it left for him to unscrew on his own; the smallest illusion of self-control. Jaskier watched the way he drank from the skin of water and realized with a feeling akin to a stone dropping in his stomach that all this time Geralt had been thirsty and had not been able to see enough to find his own canteen in his pack. He had likely quenched the worst of it while cleaning himself in the river, but he had never asked for help after. Not once. And Jaskier had missed the significance of the few times the Witcher’s hands had subtly fumbled around his saddle, searching for it.

faith in transience - Geralt gets poisoned by a drug that makes him susceptible to suggestion. Fortunately, the one making the suggestions is Jaskier. Complete.

With the effects of the potions rattling his bones and the venom intertwining he can’t fucking think. He has to lie down. Meditate. Focus his energy on regulating the magic and the pain until his metabolism flushes it out. If it goes uncontrolled it could kill him.

“Geralt? Geralt, can you hear me?” The voice on the other side of the landslide is faint and thready with anxiety.

If he sleeps here he would awaken cold, starving, and exhausted, and potentially even more poisoned if these corpses bloat and pop. He would survive. But perhaps it isn’t the most efficient choice.

Perhaps it’s a choice he may have made were the bard not here. Jaskier’s voice buries deep in his gut and tugs at him like it has magical properties of its own. Like the slaughter, it’s instinctual. Go to him.

Ivy on the Hill - Geralt has been doing his best to keep Jaskier at arm’s length, but after Jaskier saves him from death by drowning or  poison or hypothermia after a bad hunt, the two become closer. Complete, with sequels.

Geralt realizes with a bolt of suppressed panic that he can't move. It's not the weight, it's the... it's something in his blood. Weight. The armored arachas was on top of him. It isn't now. This is something soft and warm, something not leaking viscera onto him.

He breathes in again. Human. Male. Sweat and fear. Underneath that, familiar musky tones. Familiar. Another image comes unbidden to his mind, of carrying Jaskier to the healer as he choked from the djinn. Jaskier's on him.

"Are you-" Jaskier lifts his head from Geralt's shoulder. His voice thrums from his chest to Geralt's, only the pendant and Jaskier's stupid chemise between them. It feels uncomfortably intimate. There's a shuffle under blankets and two warm (blessedly warm) fingers press against his throat. "Okay, that... that feels almost fast enough to be normal, which means you're awake, right?"

The Witcher Wolf - Jaskier runs across an injured wolf in a forest and is moved to help it; the wolf joins him on his travels. The wolf is Geralt, of course. Complete, with sequels.

The wolf snarled, probably just because Jaskier’s fingers had reached the matted blood.

“Alright, so here’s my terrible plan.” Jaskier said, ignoring the snarl. Another unconscious habit he’d developed from hanging around Geralt apparently. “I’m going to try and remove this arrow, which is going to hurt terribly, and then I’m going to patch you up. I’d be extremely grateful if you didn’t dismember me in any way while I do, but if you can’t help yourself I suppose that’s fair.”

a dying curse (you are, as of all your kind, no more than a beast) - When Geralt is brought low by a curse that takes his mind, Jaskier cares for him.

Geralt cocked his head to the side, a gesture so perfectly Geralt-like that he was already anticipating the snarky barb that would follow it... and nothing. Geralt said nothing. Not because he couldn't hear Jaskier, or because he had lost his voice, but...

"You can't understand me, can you?" Jaskier said softly. Geralt just stared at him, steady, wordless, empty. "You can't understand... anything."

home is nowhere, therefore you - Geralt is overwhelmed and captured by a faerie court, and Jaskier wins a boon from the queen by playing and singing all night until the sun rises. His boon, of course, is Geralt.

"Your pardon, gracious queen," Jaskier says. By the way he perspires, Geralt can tell that they're both fucked. If Geralt could groan, he'd groan. "I believe the agreement was that I might have the pick of your treasures to carry off, if I could please you with my little musics until dawn."

She narrows her eyes. Fuck. "Don't be a fool, boy. This ring will bring you fame and fortune beyond your wildest dreams."

"Be that—be that as it may," Jaskier says, and squares his shoulders, "I'm afraid I really have my heart quite set on—that." He points, his hand only a little unsteady, and indicates the low wooden footstool upon which Geralt is miserably crouched for the foreseeable future. Gasps from the watching, glittering court of riveted fairies.

Meet Death Sitting - Geralt is attacked by a particularly nasty critter and needs Jaskier first to kill it, then to find shelter for him when he’s brought low by the toxicity of the potions he took to combat it. Complete, with sequels.

“It’s a mornat,” Geralt said, nearly whispering. His eyes looked like a wounded animal’s, distant and desperate. “It gets into a living body and takes it over, kills it, and then animates it after death until it can find a new host." He had to stop to catch his breath. "If I were human it would have taken over by now, but I’m almost out of potions to hold it back. You’ve got to cut it out of me, stab the silver knife through its spine, put it in the iron pot, tie the lid on, and bury it.”

“I,” Jaskier said, staring in horror at the -- the thing , it was deforming Geralt’s torso, and Geralt looked fucking terrible, ribs standing out in a way Jaskier had never seen before. He was dying. “Won’t that kill you?”

“I might survive,” Geralt said, characteristically unconcerned. “The easier option is that you put the silver knife through my spine and then both of you run like hell.”

[selenuntius]

rip whumptober have a failed wip of some Xiaoge...whump?

Tried to do something but I just have no idea how to end it. Maybe some day inspiration will strike and I’ll write proper comfort to this hurt instead of the tiny bit at the end. But I read it again, and I liked what I had, so I’m gonna post anyways. Not very Pingxie, first time trying out perspectives that aren’t Wu Xie first person.

not physical whump if you catch my drift; just be aware that it might be Kinda Uncomfortable

Pangzi and Wu Xie were talking about something again. Zhang Qiling could hear them speaking, voice raising as Pangzi got increasingly animated, even waving his hands about, but struggled to piece their words together. His eyes stared at the TV screen – it was a show about fishing that Pangzi had gotten into recently, and one he also quite enjoyed. He wasn’t really sure what there was to get into such a heated discussion about. His mind offered a memory of a solemn old man with countless rods, but was quickly pushed away in favour of something else.

In favour of what? Unease crawled across his body, like the breath of winter giving silver tips to every blade of grass, but the instincts drilled into his body a hundred years ago took over as he carefully measured his breaths, in and out, in an effort to keep it at bay. An inexplicable emotion gripped his mind, crowding out everything else. He could no longer hear Wu Xie or Pangzi, nor could he see the show. Whatever the pure white noise was in his head, it coated the back of his throat in weight and squeezed his heart in its hand. The thin, crystalline layer of frost on his skin hardened into ice and immobilised him before beginning to crack along his back, bringing him along with it.

An image of the clear ice encasing the palace atop the clouds in Mount Changbai flashed into his mind (and many more, many less pleasant ones). As the Gate came into his mind, he forced himself to blink slowly as a shard of ice pressed against his skin. Good. He was still in control. He counted his breaths against the roar in his ears.

A rough sensation cut through his… state, and he jolted, turning in the direction as the world refocused.

It was Wu Xie’s sleeve brushing against his arm.

Now Wu Xie and Pangzi had both fallen silent and were staring at him. His mind was still overrun by whatever it was that gripped him and he could barely see them as Wu Xie reached out tentatively, hovering a hand just above his skin.

The warmth of Wu Xie’s palm pushed past the ice engulfing his body and he managed a nod at Wu Xie, which thankfully he understood. Wu Xie gripped his arm tightly before passing his arm over his body. “What’s wrong?” Wu Xie asked quietly.

His mouth was still very dry and he wasn’t sure if he could speak, so he shook his head instead. He heard Pangzi let out a sigh of frustration and worry and a vague guilt entered the fray. There was nothing he could do.

Wu Xie retracted his hand, but Zhang Qiling reached out to grip it. Wu Xie took the cue, and placed his hand back on his arm before slowly wrapping him in an embrace.

“You’re shaking,” Wu Xie murmured in his ear.

a responsible person would’ve put a proper content warning but that’d force me to call the thing on what it probably is, which means I would have to acknowledge that it exists, and it doesn’t

[bemused-writer]

Game!Hector VS Show!Hector + Some Story Predictions

Originally, this post was going to be about my thoughts on the Castlevania series more generally, but then I had too many thoughts about several characters, so this post just turned into a look at Hector, who I personally find pretty interesting.

His character also demonstrates some of the more obvious changes the show has made and I can attest that people have Opinions about Hector in particular, so I kind of want to talk about the character for a bit.

First, a visual comparison:

Visually speaking, not much has changed. He has gray/silver hair and his outfit is much the same, though some of the more dramatic bits from the game are toned down (most notably the shoes, though you can't make that out here). His skin tone is a little darker in the show, possibly to make his Greek heritage a bit more obvious.

His backstory is... kind of changed. To be honest, the game did not care about backstory. XD I know they had a tie-in manga for the game, but I'm not going to be bringing that into this because I've never read it. This is going to strictly compare what we know from the game compared to what we know in the show, mostly to keep things simple for myself.

So, Hector's background in the game is very simple: he betrayed Dracula after he started killing humans (unclear if the killing of humans was the actual problem or just how he was going about it), left him, renounced his devil forging as evil, married a woman named Rosaly, and then set out to avenge her death after she was burned at the stake for being a witch.

His backstory in the show is quite a bit more detailed, but tonally quite different. He was often isolated as a child for being considered a freak for his ability to raise dead animals (his devil forging), which he kept as pets. His own parents despised him, and at some point he burned his house down with them inside. In other words, he murdered his parents. At some point he met Dracula and the strike up a bond and later joins him to "cull" the humans who have always mistreated him. He very specifically wants it to be a cull and not a genocide; he thinks with a manageable population, people will be ... better? I guess? Anyway, Dracula lies, says sure that's what we'll do, and he joins him. He does not have a wife (this is before he would have met her anyway), and therefore vengeance isn't a plot point.

Part of the problem in comparing this is that these two Hectors are set in different points of time. Game!Hector has already betrayed Dracula and moved on with his life. Show!Hector has just joined him on his crusade.

His personality is where we can see the bulk of the rewrite, however. Game!Hector was a no nonsense, take charge kind of guy that alternated righteous fury and outright bullheadedness with aristocratic manners and gentlemanly behavior. It was simply fantastic. He knew what his goal was (avenge his wife), pursued it (killed Dracula) and then called it a day. Perfect. Maybe not a ton of nuance (but when has there ever been in this franchise?), but definitely satisfying to witness. The man has mastered pretty much every weapon you could possibly hope for, can summon innocent devils through forging, and is basically an all around powerhouse.

Show!Hector is ... not like that. At all. He has a much softer personality and a lot more quiet sorrow about him. Game!Hector was not soft and he definitely wasn't quiet or especially sorrowful despite having just lost his wife. Game!Hector was also a lot more abrasive when angry and almost stiffly cordial when he wasn't. Show!Hector actually has a sense of humor, is quieter, and actively dislikes debate.

As for fighting, show!Hector hasn't displayed his martial skill of yet, so I can't say whether he's any good at it. He uses a hammer for forging night creatures, which could be dangerous, but mostly feels practical. Basically, game!Hector feels like a warrior that cross-classed with a summoner while show!Hector feels like a full-fledged necromancer.

But probably the biggest change in personality, and the one that I think has caused the biggest rift in whether people like show!Hector or not, is that game!Hector had an absurdly strong will and was never placed in a position that made him look weak. Show!Hector has beliefs, but he's hardly flinging himself into the fray to defend them. He has been constantly manipulated and, as of season three, psychologically tortured, has developed Stockholm syndrome, and is basically going to have a lot more to work through than game!Hector ever did in terms of plot.

To put it succinctly: game!Hector was allowed way more agency while show!Hector has yet to break free of the very literal chains that bind him. Game!Hector purposefully joined Dracula, purposefully betrayed him, and purposefully chose everything else in his life. Show!Hector was manipulated by Dracula into joining his crusade under false pretenses, was manipulated by Carmilla into betraying Dracula, was kidnapped, imprisoned, manipulated by Lenore into trusting her, and is now her slave to boot thanks to a magic ring slipped on his finger during an intimate moment.

So, what with all these changes, will show!Hector ever display the backbone we're more adjusted to seeing from game!Hector? First of all, I think it's a little unfair to say he hasn't shown any. No, it hasn't been that overt, take charge attitude from the game, but show!Hector has not meekly bowed to the horrors inflicted upon him. He has survived everything that's been tossed at him.

But, if we really are just talking about when we're going to see a Hector that wipes out his enemies without a single doubt and has the resources to pull it off, well, my guess is not until season 5 at the earliest. His story arc has been pretty whumptastic as you can see. To be honest, I do feel like Hector's plot has probably had too much whump. He's basically being psychologically tortured nonstop as of season 3 and, yeah, it's probably good to point out he's not exactly a "good guy." Lest we forget, he was perfectly all right with wiping out a significant portion of mankind, but his current circumstances are just degrading and certainly aren't designed to deliver justice.

But why do I think we might see him regain his agency in season 5 as opposed to the upcoming season 4? Well, he's been made a slave of Lenore, very literally through magic, so it's unlikely he can do anything to break that of his own free will. Most likely, Isaac will storm the castle and break him out, not out of the kindness of his heart, but because he wants to kill him. However, this isn't the version of Hector he'll want to fight. A battered, broken man? There's no honor in such a fight. And that right there gives us a portion of the game's plot: Isaac wants Hector to regain all of his strength so they can have an epic battle.

Still, things are much changed. Isaac was once a slave himself in this version, and I can't help but wonder if Hector's circumstances might ring more with him in the show than they ever did in the game. I doubt they would become "friends" exactly, but perhaps a new level of understanding could be gained.

There's also the Lenore angle to consider. As I mentioned before, this version of Hector isn't married, but could his attachment to Lenore remain despite her abuse? Could Lenore end up loving him as well? And if Isaac is the one that kills her, could this be what spurs on that craving for revenge that Hector had in the game?

If so, I have mixed feelings on it. I don't believe Lenore can love Hector after what she's done to him. It would be the height of hypocrisy, but, well, she's not a good person, so that probably won't factor into things. For Hector's sake, I hope he doesn't continue to harbor any goodwill towards her. Continuing to genuinely care about her would be catastrophic. But, pretending to be under her sway? After she's already convinced he can't do a thing against her? That could be interesting because it would reverse their roles. Some possibilities there.

Regarding Hector's potential romances, it's interesting (in, you know, a disturbing way) that Hector's intimate scene with Lenore is set side-by-side with Alucard's scene with Taka and Sumi. Both of these scenes ended phenomenally badly. What is initially seen as an attempt at comfort by both Hector and Alucard turns into an incredible betrayal: Lenore turns Hector into a slave while Sumi and Taka attempt to kill Alucard for "withholding" information.

It also shows that, oddly enough, these two are in similar predicaments despite having never met. They both long for intimacy (not necessarily sexual) and for understanding, acceptance, but they never receive it. The fact that these mutual traumas are portrayed at the same time makes me wonder if these two might eventually meet and find comfort in each other, either platonic or romantic. It would certainly be dramatic; they both had ties to Dracula, were on opposite sides of the war, yet harbor basic similarities. Hector seems to long for some peace and quiet; Alucard's abode definitely has that. Alucard probably also wouldn't mind a bunch of undead pets, so... shrug

One thing I am convinced of, though, is that at some point Hector is going to have his comeuppance, one way or another. It would be incredibly disappointing if he goes through all of this and still loses in the end. That would quite the disservice to the character and, in my opinion, uninteresting. It seems much more likely we will see more of his suffering, but also how he will slowly turn it around until he has an advantage of some kind.

Also, with this comparison of the character, I suppose it would make sense to finish off with how I feel about the character. I already noted that I like game!Hector, but in truth I actually really like show!Hector as well. Yes, he's much changed, but he also has a level of depth the game didn't permit. He's sympathetic despite being on the side of evil (which is how I feel about Isaac as well, though for very different reasons). I wish his story hadn't involved so much humiliation, but that doesn't prevent me from liking the character, In fact, I think he's handled his circumstances with a remarkable amount of poise and grace all things considered. It's interesting, and I absolutely must know how he's developed further.

[aceofwhump]

Mike Warren Fanfic Rec List

Alright everyone!! Here it is! My fanfiction rec list for Mike Warren!! There’s not a lot of fanfiction out there so pickings are kinda slim (we should all change that. Just saying.) But I hope you enjoy what I’ve found!

Warning 1: A lot of these are incomplete. It sucks but they’re good so I’m adding them anyway.

Warning 2: Some are Pike (Paige and Mike) and no I don’t ship them (cause she is a bitch) but I wanted to read Mike whump and if the Pike wasn’t a huge deal in the fic I read it anyway.

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Saving Grace by HopefulShipper, RosieColes95  Summary: Abby finds Mike's FBI badge along with his gun that fateful night in S1 and he comes clean about his job. As their relationship deepens can Mike protect her from getting pulled into his undercover world? Cowritten with RosieColes95.

Moving On by kimmyiewrites (arosetosomeone) Summary: Mike Warren has gone back to D.C. to try and move on from all that had happened in Graceland. With a new case and a new partner he just might be able to do just that or will Graceland's memories come back to haunt him?Post Series Finale!

The Silver Lining is in the Stuffed Animal by cancerthecrabbo Summary: When Bello spots him and attacks him in prison, Mike is a little worse for wear. With his stitches pulled out, Charlie takes him to the hospital before they go back to Graceland. Mike, in all his painkiller-induced loopiness, is adorable. The Graceland family takes advantage of the situation to get some blackmail.

what is a half-blind wolf (but a lamb missing an eye?) by cancerthecrabbo Summary: "Mike expects Bello to get between the two of them, perhaps elect to interrogate him, which might leave him some room to stay undercover. Instead, he takes a step back and gives Eddie a slow nod. He hands Eddie the gun." An alternate ending to the episode Pizza Box in which Bello decides to put his trust in Eddie, which means Eddie can dispose of Mike as he wishes. The tactical team waiting nearby gets to them before Eddie can kill Mike but not before he makes the saying an eye for an eye quite literal.

i dream with my eyes open by sonofahurricane Summary: When Eddie attacks Mike, Mike walks away but doesn't get off easily.AU for 1x04, Pizza Box.

Lightshow by busigt_81 Summary: Mike loves running, it clears his head and helps him think about whats going on in his life and he needs it now more than ever.

Anchor by VampirePam Summary: When Mike crashes hard after his first reversal, Briggs is there to pick up the pieces. Missing scene from the pilot.

And Not Just Play a Part by yattayay Summary: He comes out to them one night on the beach, with his head in Charlie’s lap and the fire warming his toes.

The Ever Building Lie by donutsweeper Summary: Odin Rossi had become a part of Paul Briggs, one that was getting harder and harder to hide.Spoilers for episode 1x08 "Bag Man."

Poison by AnthemInMyTveit (SoWrongItsLottie) Summary: “I’m Poison, Mike!” Briggs shouts, spinning his head round to face the younger Agent.Paul Briggs knows that he’s a mess; he has been ever since the incident down in Mexico with Jangles, he’s not going to deny it. Although he never thought for a single second that he would ever let Agent Mike Warren, Mr Boy Scout himself, in on his most darkest secret. When Mike takes a turn for the worse following Bello’s assault, Briggs makes it his mission to get Agent Warren out of Graceland and to DC, where he belongs. But can he really go through with his plan and say goodbye to the person who has had his back since day one?

What Didn't Happen by altschmerzes Summary: “You really think I was dead?” That’s the question he asks instead of his actual question, ‘just how upset were you and how upset are you still?’ Ultimately, the first question answers the second, if what Mike’s face does is any indication.“Yeah.” The word is clipped, followed by a short clear of his throat. “I really did.”--After Mike finds out Johnny is alive, and after Briggs leaves the evidence room, the two of them get a chance to talk, and Mike gets to process a loss that hadn't actually happened.

Come Together by owenharpersgirl Summary: After Bello attacks Mike in the prison, the entire house comes to together to look after him.

Panic by petersnotkingyet Summary: Bates wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Mike having a panic attack. Bromance ensues.

Three in the Morning by IveGotRedHair Summary: Mike's not feeling well and Paige tries to make it better, he might be the new guy but Graceland is family.

It's Just Sauce After All by: Rosebud5 Summary: Based on the "Pizza Box" episode, Mike is left with the suddenly daunting task of cleaning the dishes after sauce night. Just when he thinks he might reach his breaking point, he's joined by somebody who will help take the pain away and clean away all the red to leave a beautiful, pure white. Sometimes, all it takes is a gentle hand to guide you back to the ground.

Those Blue Eyes by: Rosebud5 Summary: When Mike is stabbed and in critical condition, the Graceland family realizes just how much their dorky Levi means to each of them. Takes place during the "Smoke Alarm" episode, with some Mike/Paige and a few hints of Johnny/Charlie.

Life at Graceland by: Misfits-of-Graceland Summary: A series of one-shots focusing on Mike mostly and some are just kind of random.

Under the Cover of Violence by: GracelandFan Summary: Mike has to go undercover as a victim of domestic violence. Briggs has to play the abuser. All is going well until one nosy cop decides to help Mike out of his situation.

Burning in the Dark by: msjgatsby Summary: Mike fails. He needs Paige's forgiveness.

Reveal Those Baby Blues by: Suitslover14 Summary: At least this time he didn't have to call Charlie and Paige and Jakes, telling them that Mike had been stabbed and he had left him to chase after some nightmare in his past. At least this time Mike had a hell of a better chance of surviving. That is if he could just reveal those baby blues.

The Greatest Novel Ever Written by msjgatsby Summary: Paige takes the first shift after Mike's out of the tub. (PIKE outtake from 3x08)

Not So Happy Birthday by: WhumpageLover Summary: It's Mike's birthday, but the day doesn't turn out so happy.

Matters of the Heart by: purplepanda242 Summary: How do you cope when everything goes wrong?

Desperation by: H.E. Mahk Summary: Post season 3.  Picks up right at the end of "No Old Tigers".  Everyone in the house is trying to figure out where to go from here and Mike, especially, is struggling with the stress and guilt of it all.  Will he seek help or fall back into old habits? Warnings: drug use.

Dark by: Miss DiNozzo Summary: Tags to 1x04, Pizza Box. Mike's not doing well.

Mike Whump by: TaliaFox Summary: Basically, a series of one-shots about hurt!Mike. Involved will be shooting, stabbing, kidnapping, etc. Mainly will be Mike and Paul, but others will be included. NOT SLASH.

Search & Rescue By: S.A.N.e-but-inS.A.N.e Summary: When Paige asks Mike to help her on one of her cases, it quickly goes from a simple takedown to a life-threatening situation. Even injured, Mike will stop at nothing to rescue Paige with or without the help of the other residents of the Graceland house.

Mike's Mystery by: WhumpageLover Summary: Mike comes home, beaten and covered in blood, after being gone for three days. He doesn't want to talk about what happened, so it's up to the gang to find out what happened to their Levi.

Sick Mike Oneshots by: Miss DiNozzo Summary: As a huge sickfic fan, I've really wanted to see more sick!Mike. So naturally I wrote a million stories about it.

Stagger by: somewhereinthedreams Summary: Filling in the gap of why Mike thought he and Paige were okay after Bello attacked him in prison. Consider this a deleted scene set during Season 1: Episode 10, "King's Castle."

Come Together by: OwenHarpersGirl Summary: After Bello attacks Mike in the prison, the entire house comes to together to look after him.